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Jac25

Member
Messages
20
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Hi all,

I haven't posted for ages, although I've been popping in and out, watching discussions.

I've had a hell of a year. Diagnosed pre diabetic a year ago whilst suffering from fatigue. 3 months later I was diagnosed with CFS / ME, and although I tried to adhere to LCHF, it wasn't entirely successful as there are days when I am too exhausted to cook. In July I lost my job and am still unable to work because of the ME, and a few biscuits and ice cream crept into my diet - comfort eating I guess. And exercise is impossible- I can barely walk 50 yards, and even that in pain.

In October I was advised I had become diabetic with HbA1c of 50. I went straight back to LCHF, and now if too exhausted to cook, eat cheese and low(ish) carb nuts. It's a nightmare trying to balance the two illnesses, and I find when the ME is worst, my sugars shoot up. Last week I was advised I was considered not sick enough by the DWP to receive PIP (the benefit available to those with reduced mobility) and I couldn't stop crying for 4 hours. I have no money coming in, and this was the last straw. I was surprised to find my BG went up to 9, despite not eating anything different. Does stress affect it?

If anyone has any advice re easy to cook a LCHF recipes I would be grateful. I can't stand for more than a few minutes, and it takes me a whole day to prepare a meat and veg stew (although that feeds me for 3 days). Meals are getting very monotonous.

Also, does anyone know of any throat lozenges that are sugar free but don't contain aspartame? ME causes regular sore throats and swollen glands, but the throat lozenges I used to use to ease the pain spike my blood sugar, and aspartame triggers IBS.

All advice gratefully received! Many thanks
 
Sorry to hear you're having such a rough time. I'm almost new here, nice to "meet" you.

Jac25 said:
If anyone has any advice re easy to cook a LCHF recipes I would be grateful.
Click to expand...

When my wife and I are tired of fancy cooking we do these:
  • Plain baked fish (i.e. without breadcrumbs) sprinkled with lemon juice, with some kind of green vegetable.
  • Pork chops cooked in a pan, or grilled lamb chops with some kind of vegetable (steamed is best).
  • If you can find pre-made cauliflower rice, give it a try. Good garnishing for meat and fish dishes.
  • Pre-made mixed salads, discarding the provided dressing sachet and making our own oil/vinegar.
  • Omelettes, often stuffed with leftovers, or grated cheese, or Herbes de Provence.
  • Avocado.
I hope these are not over-laborious for your condition.

Best wishes.
 

hello dear I dont think we know each other , but I am sad to hear how bad you feel, I used to have something almost like cronic fatigue syndrome, and depressions on top of cause, by accident/coincidence I was prescribed Seroquel and as nothing really helped me I was desperate and upped this medication more and more to try to have an effect and suddenly at a very high amount of it 600-800mg a day , my brain started to wake up from this eternal flu-like headstate and total tiredness. usually, people become very tired and relaxed from this medication, but in my case, my brain cleared up , I started to again enjoy life and not always looking for an excuse to go rest on a sofa or a bed and avoid other people. well maybe this will not work for you, but chronic fatigue syndrome is so severe that all possible approaches should be tried out I think..

my own favorite fast foods of ow carb is cauliflower ( a whole one ) cooked for 8 minutes and then put in a tray cover it with cheese slices and put it into the owen till the cheese melts... it taste amazing, and then I eat loads of macadamia nuts

somebody adviced me to buy "the coconut ketogenic diet" of Bruce Fife .. I havent read it yet , but I askedfor advice of how to cook with coconut flour ...so I hope to find some favorites in that book soon.
 
Hello. I'm so sorry you're in a bad place and angry about the way you've been treated. It's little consolation to know there are others in a similar position but I hope you'll feel supported by us at least, if not by the DWP.
Stress does affect BG.
Here's a link to sugar-free Strepsils but I don't know if they're ok for you https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/23390
Perhaps it's better for you to scan the recipes sections and choose whatever you feel able to make. Some good ideas above.
 
I buy frozen veges and already chopped stewmeat. I throw the meat into the Actifry along with the onion for 15 minutes, then tip the lot into a pressure cooker with the frozen veges and cook on medium pressure for about ten minutes then leave it to cool down naturally - my cooker has three settings, I think 5, 10 and 15 whatevers.
Don't accept the first response about benefits - perhaps contact the citizens advice and see if they can help - also your doctor to see if they can put on any pressure. A proper chemist shop might be able to help with the throat lozenges.
Yes, stress can put up BG levels.
 
I agree with what @Resurgam says above. Don't accept the first opinion from the DWP - ask for a review and then appeal if necessary. It's a long drawn out process, but will be worth it. Get in touch with the DWP and explain your situation and ask for a home visit. I hope this helps.
 
One good piece of kit for those who find standing for any length of time is a perching stool. These look like a bar stool but the seat is angled so that your feet rest on the floor and your back is not thrown out by leaning over. It may be worth scouring Freecycle or Ebay etc to find one. I used mine a lot before My condition worsened.

As to meals on a budget, it depends if you live alone, if you have to do your own shopping and how well you organise/pace yourself. I have always batch cooked as this has saved money and after the initial work involved has been done the time and energy spent and saved has worked out well for me. I freeze things in individual portions for later use then add in different sides to stop stuff becoming boring. It is surprising just how far one chicken will go when bulked out with veggies. Hope this helps.
 
Hi all, thank you so much for the advice and support. I will go to the CAB and ask for help. I'll look for pre made cauliflower rice (quick check online shows Tesco stock it) and also try the batch cooking. Many thanks for the link to sugar free strepsils, will follow up.

One question - I have been sticking religiously to LCHF for about 6 weeks, but my fasting sugars are still high - in the high 7s or 8s. I was surprised as my HbA1c was only 51/ 50 (2 tests, month apart) so just into the diabetic range. I am overweight, but that is coming down, lost 1/2 stone in those 6 weeks through diet alone, as I can't exercise.

Thank you all xx
 
Jac25 said:
I'll look for pre made cauliflower rice (quick check online shows Tesco stock it) ....
Click to expand...

Let us know if you like it. We have always made our own cauliflower rice from scratch, using a food processor, but I suggested the pre-made stuff instead because of your physical issues.

The reason I ask about the pre-made stuff is that, on another sub-forum here, somebody who had tried the pre-made stuff said it tasted awful. Then, someone else who (like us) prepares it from scratch said that the pre-made stuff is usually awful.

We have the pre-made versions here in America but I've never tried it because it is cheaper to make it yourself, if you are able to.
 

As your stress levels may have been higher due to financial worries this will have had an effect on your bg.
 
I found that my fasting levels are quick to rise and very slow to fall but they do fall eventually.
 
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